1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control and/or drive device for a flying body for the ejection of a hot gas stream by combustion of a fuel (propellant) combination.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Such a control and/or drive device is used for example in a so-called Divert and Attitude Control System, which serves to control a flying body during a final approach to a target. For example, a Divert and Attitude Control System is used in order to control a flying body, for example in the final approach to a target. Control and/or drive devices hitherto used for such flying bodies are basically realized with two different drive variants.
The first variant is a so-called solid-fuel drive, in which the drive unit is charged with a solid, pulverulent or paste-like fuel for influencing the flight path of the flying body. A conventional structure involves arranging the whole fuel supply, generally in the form of rod-shaped or tubular fuel batches arranged in parallel, in a cylindrical combustion chamber, where the fuel supply is ignited and also combusted. With such a drive concept it was hitherto extremely difficult to control the combustion of a solid-fuel drive once it had been ignited, to stop an ignition once it had been initiated, or even to reignite the fuel batch. For this reason the procedure adopted hitherto was to combust the whole fuel supply and/or to charge oppositely operating deflection nozzles with an identical gas stream so that the deflection nozzles cancel one another out and an undesirable change in flight path is thereby prevented. However, such a procedure results in a comparatively large loss of fuel during the mission and leads therefore to a poor utilization of the fuel. On the other hand the use of a solid-fuel drive has specific advantages, in particular its relatively simple structure, uncomplicated handling, constant readiness for use, as well as the comparatively low toxicity.
The second variant for realizing a drive unit described above is a liquid-fuel drive, for example based on a complex hypergolic binary substance drive. Such a liquid-fuel drive obtains its thrust from the combustion of liquid propellants and is in principle more complicated as regards structure than a solid-fuel drive described above. Liquid-fuel drives are however very widely used in space travel on account of their generally longer combustion times, their thrust which can be accurately controlled, the problem-free start-up and shutdown, as well as their higher energy content. A serious disadvantage of a liquid-fuel drive however is the toxicity of the fuels.
EP 1 173 668 B1 describes a rocket drive arrangement with a drive system that comprises a plurality of eccentrically arranged rocket propulsion units, in which each of the propulsion units has its own combustion chamber. Each of these propulsion units can be ignited independently of the others. To achieve combustion in a combustion chamber a combustion reaction is initiated between a liquid oxidizing agent and a fuel component. This component comprises granular solid fuel components stored in the respective combustion chambers of the hybrid rocket propulsion units.